In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, I, the inventor, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. I also grow a smaller number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Red Princess’.
In 2004 I made a first generation hybridization using ‘Diamond Ray’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,948) nectarine as the selected seed parent and an unnamed peach as the selected pollen parent. The fruit of this cross was gathered that summer, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in my greenhouse facility. Upon reaching dormancy I transplanted them to a cultivated area of my experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2008 I selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, I asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of tree and fruit characteristics were true to the original tree in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
While the present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘Diamond Ray’, in several aspects, such as producing fruit that is full red in skin color, yellow in flesh color, and firm in texture, it is quite distinguished from it by being a peach instead of nectarine.
While the present variety is similar to its unnamed pollen parent in several aspects, such as producing peaches that are nearly full red in skin color, yellow in flesh color, and firm in texture, it is quite distinguished therefrom by requiring a higher amount of chill portions and by producing peaches that are much larger in size and that mature about 50 days later.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Bright Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,695) peach by being self-fruitful, having large blossoms, having reniform leaf glands, and producing an abundance of yellow flesh peaches that are firm, that are nearly full red in skin color, and that have a sweet kernel, but is distinguished therefrom by requiring more chilling hours, by blooming later in the season, and by producing fruit that is somewhat larger in size, clingstone rather than freestone in type, and that matures about ten days later.